Sphero RVR Low Latency Teleoperation Using Raspberry Pi

In this guide, we’ll be showing you how to connect Sphero RVR to the internet and control it remotely using Surrogate.tv. With this setup, you can drive your RVR from anywhere in the world, and even let others control it with you. Best of all, if your Raspberry Pi is already set up with Surrogate.tv SDK, you’ll be up and running in just 10 minutes. Prefer watching a video? Check out this video guide instead - VIDEO

STEP ONE: Setting up the Raspberry Pi

First things first, you need to have your Raspberry Pi set up and running. If you still haven’t, check out our guide on how to set up your Raspberry Pi with Surrogate.tv. Don't worry! There's no coding required.

Step Two: Wiring the Cables

Now that your Raspberry Pi is prepared, we’ll first start with setting up the hardware, in order for the Raspberry Pi to be able to communicate with the RVR. To do so, we need to connect 3 pin cables between the 2 devices. To ensure common ground, connect the ground pin cable to the RVR’s ground pin. Next, up, connect the RX0 and TX0 pins on the Sphero RVR and connect them to your Raspberry Pi’s RX0 and TX0 pins in reverse, as shown in the diagram below.

Step Three: Assembly

Next up, attach the power bank, camera, and the Raspberry Pi to the Sphero RVR's top casing. You can use zip ties, bolts, double-sided tape, or anything else that you might have at hand, additionally, you can also 3D print a casing if it’s more convenient for you. Here’s an example of a quickly assembled Sphero RVR:

Step Four: Configure the Bot

Now that we’re done with everything assembly-wise, let’s quickly set up the software and we should be good to go. Start by connecting the power cable from your power bank to the Raspberry Pi and wait for it to boot up. Once the Raspberry Pi has booted, go to your game dashboard and click on your robot controller. This will open your Raspberry Pi’s configuration page, press next, and now select your Game Template to Sphero RVR, now that that’s done, press next and you’re good to go.

Step Five: Testing Time

If everything has been wired correctly, your Sphero RVR should be now good to go. To make sure that’s the case, let’s go to your game dashboard and preview the robot. At this point, both the streamer and the controller should have green indicators next to them. Now turn ON the Sphero RVR by pressing its power button, you should see the RVR’s LEDs powering ON.

To test the controls press the WASD / Arrow keys, and your RVR should start moving around.

And now you’re good to go on the adventures!